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This summer was one of the most exciting in Spartak’s recent history. On the ice, the likes of Yakov Rylov and Patrik Hersley should bring real strength to the defense, while Denis Kokarev is set to be a genuine leader in the locker room. Moreover, the task of forging a winning team was handed to none other than Oleg Znarok, one of Russia’s most titled coaches.

Last season

The 2018/19 campaign was something of a roller-coaster for Spartak. An indifferent start saw head coach Vadim Yepanchintsev removed just months after leading the team to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. That decision was vindicated by an upswing in results that had the team as high as fifth place in the west at the turn of the year. However, a weak conclusion to the regular season brought eight losses in nine games. The team entered the playoffs with more of a whimper than a bang.

Post season, though, was a revelation. Up against SKA, Spartak was given little chance but shocked everyone by going to Petersburg and winning twice. In the end, it wasn’t enough: SKA rallied to take the series in six games but had to battle all the way before advancing.

Coach

The very fact that Oleg Znarok has taken over as head coach speaks of Spartak’s high ambitions. Three times a Gagarin Cup winner, he also won a World Championship with Russia before delivering that long-awaited Olympic gold in 2018. There is simply no more successful coach currently working in Russian hockey. True, he was inactive last year, but that surely suggests he will be hungrier than ever for hockey and victories.

Arrivals

Defense: Grigory Glebov (Zauraliye, VHL), Ivan Krylov (Sokol, VHL), Alexander Kutuzov (Lokomotiv), Ruslan Pedan (Dinamo Riga), Yakov Rylov (Metallurg), Patrik Hersley (SKA).

Offense: Ilya Arkalov (Neftekhimik), Maxim Bain (Khimik, VHL), Mikhail Zholobov (Tambov, VHL), Denis Kokarev (Vityaz), Ilya Korenev, Evgeny Solovyov (both Khimik, VHL), Gennady Stolyarov (Vityaz), Mikhail Yunkov (no club).

Departures

Defense: Mikhail Bulimov, Mikhail Grigoriev (Dynamo Moscow), Yaroslav Dyblenko (SKA), Dmitry Kalinin (Traktor), Roman Kobelev (Khimik, VHL), Sergei Kuznetsov, Alexander Osipov, Vladislav Provolnev (Severstal), Vsevolod Sorokin (Khumo, VHL).

Offense: Viktor Bobrov, Artyom Voronin (Khumo, VHL), Oleg Gubin (Khimik, VHL), Ilya Klyazunov (Buran, VHL), Enver Lisin, Ben Maxwell (Langnau, SUI), Maxim Trunyov, Vadim Shutov (Zauraliye, VHL).

Roster

On its own, appointing a coach with a track record of trophies isn’t enough to raise a team’s ambitions. However, Spartak’s recruitment has given the club one of the most interesting rosters in the west. Almost all the key players from last season remain, although the departure of Yaroslav Dyblenko to SKA looks like a painful blow.

Even that trade looks less painful, though, when set against the arrival of Yakov Rylov and, especially, Patrik Hersley. That looks to amply compensate for Dyblenko’s departure from the blue line. Hersley’s arrival was a real transfer sensation: Spartak acquired one of the best defensemen in the KHL, a man who is irreplaceable on the power play. Last season the Swede had 33 (14+19) points despite barely playing half the campaign.

The arrival of Denis Kokarev is also noteworthy. Sure, he wasn’t among the top players at Vityaz last season, but his contribution off the ice is every bit as important as his production on it. Kokarev’s arrival is about building team chemistry and a winning culture in the locker room. He’s every inch a Znarok player, having been part of his teams at MVD and Dynamo. The move suggests that the new head coach has already identified the man to get the team delivering his ideas on the ice.

Leader – Julius Hudacek

The arrival of Julius Hudacek last summer was one of the best bits of business that Spartak did. The Slovak goalie made a great impression during the regular season and was called up to the All-Star Game in Kazan. It wasn’t all about the renowned Huda-show celebrations, either. Stopping 91.6% of shots won’t lift a goalie to the top of the rankings but, when playing for a mid-table team, it’s a more than decent result. His true leadership qualities came to the fore in post season, where he had a notable series against SKA. In those two victories, Hudacek was huge, and he stopped 93.4% of shots.

Prospect – Maxim Tsyplakov

One of Spartak’s brightest hopes blazed a trail in his rookie campaign. His 9 (4+5) points from 31 appearances came as something of a surprise against a background of moderate scoring in the Youth Hockey League, where he never managed more than 16 points in a season.

Strikingly, his best form came in January, when Spartak was on the skids. The team slumped from defeat to defeat, but 20-year-old Maxim Tsyplakov produced a four-game scoring streak. The youngster didn’t get a chance in the playoffs, but he has every opportunity of making an impression on the new coaching staff.

Expectations

In a single pre-season, Spartak has gone from a solid mid-table team to potentially one of the strongest contenders in the Western Conference. In a recent interview with KHL.ru, forward Kaspars Daugavins spoke several times about looking to win the Gagarin Cup. Right now that’s something Spartak believes could be achievable.

Of course, it’s hard to imagine that the Red-and-Whites could compete with CSKA all the way through the long regular season. But going into the playoffs in a seeded position would not be a sensation. Indeed, a top four finish with this coaching staff and roster looks like an attainable target. But for the current Spartak set up, the regular season should be nothing more than a launchpad towards a serious playoff campaign. In the past the club has never got further than the second round; this season, a place in the Conference semi-finals should be a minimum expectation.

Oleg Znarok saw his Spartak team defeat his former club, Dynamo, in the first Moscow derby of the season. In Belarus, Dinamo Minsk lost out once again in the Ruslan Salei Cup and finished fourth in the tournament. There were exhibition game wins for Traktor and Admiral.

Karsums and Kuteikin defeat Dynamo

Spartak hosted the first Moscow derby of the season when it took on Dynamo. Both teams went with strong rosters. Dynamo rested just three of its key players, Miks Indrasis, Ivan Igumnov and goalie Alexander Yeryomenko, while Igor Polygalov made his debut for the Blue-and-Whites. Spartak put together an import trio of Martins Karsums, Kaspars Daugavins and Robin Hanzl, with Nikita Bespalov in goal.

Dynamo made a bright start without seriously testing Bespalov, but soon fell behind as Spartak converted its first chance of the game. Karsums, a former Dynamo player, opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Within a minute it was 2-0 when another ex-Dynamo man, Andrei Kuteikin, doubled the lead.

For much of the game, Spartak was clearly the better team and Dynamo struggled to create much in front of Bespalov’s net. Only in the third period did the visitor manage to frustrate the home offense but even then, chances at the other end were hard to come by. The closest we came to another goal was late in the game when a breakaway saw Alexander Petunin fire against the Spartak crossbar.

Spartak Moscow 2 Dynamo Moscow 0 (2-0, 0-0, 0-0)

Goals: 1-0 Karsums (Daugavins, Rylov 6:05); 2-0 Kuteikin (Talaluyev 6:41)

Goalies: Bespalov – Kuznetsov

Vladimir Krikunov, head coach, Dynamo

Yes, we lost for the second game running. We’re still getting used to this ice, it’s smaller than the rink we train on. Here, everything happens faster, there’s more contact, your opponent is always right next to you. We warned the guys about it but we’re still getting used to it. We made a couple of bad errors but then we more or less came to terms with it. We didn’t allow any more goals but we couldn’t score for ourselves, unfortunately.

Oleg Znarok, head coach, Spartak

Playing Dynamo was important first of all so we could look at how our lines were shaping up and how our special teams were performing. It seems like we have four separate lines and each of them is capable of scoring. Right now the guys’ physical condition isn’t bad, thanks to our pre-season preparations.

Nikita Bespalov, goalie, Spartak

It was a good game and an important win for us, but it’s only pre-season. We can’t read too much into this. Every team is at a different stage in its preparations: some have had a hard pre-season program, others not so much. If we had done cross training yesterday, like Dynamo did, I don’t think I’d have had a shut-out in today’s game.

No revenge for Salavat Yulaev

Traktor followed up its 1-0 win in Ufa yesterday with another victory over Salavat Yulaev. The home team chose to rest its imports, and also gave captain Grigory Panin the afternoon off. Similarly, Traktor rested its Czech pair of Tomas Hyka and Lukas Sedlak, along with Andrew Calof and first-choice goalie Vasily Demchenko.

Just like 24 hours earlier, the game was competitive but short on goals. Traktor took the lead in the first period and looked to be on the way to another shut-out success. However, a late goal from Vladislav Lukin ended Ufa’s scoreless streak but could not claw the home team back into the game.

Salavat Yulaev Ufa 1 Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 (0-1, 0-0, 1-1)

Goals: 0-1 Glinkin (17:13); 0-2 Malykhin (51:59); 1-2 Lukin (Lisovets 57:40)

Goalies: Kareyev – Fedotov

Admiral edges a win in Litvinov

Admiral continued its engagements in the Czech Republic with a trip to Litvinov, the town that nurtured the talents of Ivan Hlinka and Vladimir Ruzicka. The exhibition game against Verva came after the Sailors finished fourth in the Kusy Memorial Trophy and saw Sergei Svetlov deploy a strong roster against a team that, in recent seasons, has found itself in the lower half of the Czech top flight.

The first two periods were short of action and the teams were tied 1-1 after 40 minutes. The third was more entertaining, with the teams trading five goals before Admiral shaded a 4-3 verdict. The top line led the way, with Martin Bakos and Markus Ljungh making a big impact. However, the defense continues to give Svetlov cause for concern.

Verva Litvinov 3 Admiral Vladivostok 4 (0-1, 1-0, 2-3)

Goals: 0-1 Ljungh (Bakos 15:24 PP); 1-1 Hubl (Lukes, Janosik 39:43); 1-2 Vikharev (Bakos, Ljungh 40:17); 1-3 Lomako (A Streltsov, V Streltsov 40:52); 2-3 Hubl (Gerhat 43:14); 3-3 Janosik (Lukes, Kurbat 50:56 PP); 3-4 V Streltosv (A Streltsov, Ljungh 58:26)

Goalies: Janus – Olkinuora

Salei Cup

Dinamo Minsk loses out again

Nobody expected Dinamo Minsk to play for third place in the Belarusian Cup. However, after joining the competition at the semi-final stage, a surprise defeat against Dinamo Molodechno denied the Bison a place in the final. Instead, it was a bronze-medal playoff against Neman Grodno. Head coach Craig Woodcroft could not hide his disappointment at the result and blamed a lack of adaptation time for the team’s imports, who arrived in Belarus shortly before the game.

There were few changes to the roster for the game against Neman, with Woodcroft wanting to give his team to put right its mistakes. The most notable new face was Alexei Tereshchenko, recently signed on a try-out contract. The three-time World Champion was listed as the 13^th forward, but played a role in Minsk’s second goal. He provided an assist as Nikita Feoktistov tied the scores early in the third period.

That goal took the game to overtime, but once again Dinamo came up short. Sergei Malyavko potted the game winner for Neman to leave more awkward questions for Woodcroft as Minsk was left without a medal.

Dinamo Minsk 2 Neman Grodno 3 OT (1-0, 0-2, 1-0, 0-1)

Goals: 1-0 Kovyrshin (Pare, Stepanov 15:43 PP); 1-1 Kisly (Malinovsky, Koromando 21:01 PP); 1-2 Malinovsky (Grishanov 38:29 SH); 2-2 Feoktistov (A Kostitsyn, Tereshchenko 43:22); 2-3 A Malyavko (Stepanov, A Malyavko 62:00)

Goalies: Enroth – Trus

EN.KHL.RU publishes the full pre-season schedule.

Legend:EX– Exhibition Game, REN– Renaissance Cup (in China), SOC– Sochi Hockey Open (in Sochi, Russia), MOU– Mountfield Cup (in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic), NNC– Nizhny Novgorod’s Area Governor Cup (in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia), KRP- Kazakhstan Republic President’s Cup (in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan), HAM– Hämeenlinna Cup (in Hämeenlinna, Finland), CHE– Chelyabinsk’s Area Governor Cup (in Chelyabinsk, Russia), KUS– Zbynek Kusy Memorial (in Pardubice, Czech Republic), HOC– Hockeyades (in Le Sentier, Switzerland), LEH– Lehner Cup (in Sursee, Switzerland), SAL– Salei Cup (in Orsha, Belarus), RIG– Tournament in Riga (in Riga, Latvia), PUC– Puchkov Tournament (in Saint Petersburg, Russia), MOS– Mayor of Moscow’s Cup (in Moscow, Russia), ROM– Romazan Memorial (in Magnitogorsk, Russia)

July 20

EX Admiral 1:2 Yermak (VHL)

July 21

EX Admiral 4:0 Yermak (VHL)

July 24

EX Dinamo Riga 1:2 SO Neftyanik (VHL)

July 25

EX Admiral 1:0 Amur

July 26

EX Dinamo Riga 6:1 Saryarka (VHL)

July 27

EX Admiral 0:6 Amur, Verva Litvinov 1:2 Spartak

July 28

EX Metallurg 3:2 Vityaz (in Garmisch-Partenkirchen), SKA 1:2 Tambov (VHL), SKA 3:2 Khimik (VHL)

July 30

EX Pirati 0:4 Avtomobilist

July 31

EX Vityaz 4:3 Metallurg (in Bressanone), Neftekhimik 2:4 Salavat Yulaev (in Finland)

August 1

EX Energie 2:4 Avtomobilist

August 2

EX Neftyanik (VHL) 1:2 SO Ak Bars, Jokerit 3:2 Neftekhimik (in Tikkurila)

REN Kunlun Red Star 3:5 Arizona University

August 3

EX Traktor 6:2 MAC Ujbuda (in Slovenia), Torpedo 2:1 Dynamo Moscow

SOC Lokomotiv 3:1 Avangard, Sochi 2:1 SO Dinamo Riga

August 4

SOC Avangard 3:4 Russia II, Sochi 2:1 SKA

MOU Mountfield 1:2 SO Spartak

REN Kunlun Red Star 8:4 ORG Beijing (VHL)

August 5

SOC Lokomotiv 1:4 Russia II, SKA 5:6 Dinamo Riga

MOU Spartak 0:8 Dinamo Pardubice

August 6

EX HPK 2:3 SO Sibir (in Valkeakoski), CSKA 3:1 Admiral

SOC Lokomotiv 3:2 Dinamo Riga, Sochi 2:1 OT Russia II

REN Kunlun Red Star 3:1 Yermak (VHL)

August 7

EX Jokerit 4:3 Sibir (in Valkeakoski), CSKA 3:1 Admiral

SOC Lokomotiv 0:4 SKA, Sochi 3:1 Avangard

MOU Spartak 5:3 Slovan

NNC Khumo (VHL) 3:6 Dinamo Minsk, Torpedo 2:3 Dynamo Moscow

KRP Neftekhimik 1:5 Avtomobilist, Barys 6:1 Ak Bars

REN Kunlun Red Star 1:6 Arizona University

August 8

SOC Russia II 2:3 Dinamo Riga, SKA 1:4 Avangard

NNC Dinamo Minsk 1:4 Dynamo Moscow, Torpedo 0:3 Khumo (VHL)

KRP Ak Bars 2:1 Salavat Yulaev, Barys 5:3 Neftekhimik

August 9

EX Jukurit 3:4 Vityaz (in Finland)

HAM Pelicans 2:3 OT Sibir

KRP Ak Bars 5:1 Neftekhimik, Salavat Yulaev 2:3 Avtomobilist

August 10

HAM Frankfurt Lowen 2:6 Sibir

CHE Severstal 1:2 Metallurg, Traktor 5:2 Tournament Selects

NNC Dynamo Moscow 4:1 Khumo (VHL), Torpedo 6:2 Dinamo Minsk

KRP Neftekhimik 1:2 SO Salavat Yulaev, Avtomobilist 2:3 Barys

August 11

CHE Metallurg 3:1 Tournament Selects, Traktor 2:1 Severstal

NNC 3rd place game - Dinamo Minsk 1:5 Khumo (VHL). Final - Torpedo 1:2 Dynamo Moscow

KRP Avtomobilist 4:3 SO Ak Bars, Salavat Yulaev 1:2 SO Barys

August 12

KUS Mountfield 7:0 Amur (in Hradec Kralove)

August 13

EX Vityaz 8:1 Pelicans (in Imatra), Sibir 3:2 Energie (in Karlovy Vary)

CHE Tournament Selects 2:3 OT Severstal, Traktor 3:0 Metallurg

KUS Admiral 4:1 Znojmo

August 14

EX Jokerit 1:2 SKA (in Tikkurila)

HOC CSKA 2:0 Lausanne

KUS Kosice 5:4 Admiral, Dinamo Pardubice 3:6 Amur

August 15

EX SaiPa 1:7 Vityaz, Sibir 5:2 Pirati (in Khomutov), Avangard 2:1 Dynamo Moscow

HOC CSKA 9:3 Genève Servett

August 16

EX SKA 3:0 Vityaz (in Espoo)

HOC CSKA 0:1 Fribourg Gotteron

KUS 3rd place game. Amur 4:3 SO Admiral

LEH Barys 4:1 Ambri-Piotta

August 17

EX Salavat Yulaev 0:1 Traktor, Sochi 4:3 Sparta (in Khomutov), Neftekhimik 1:2 OT Ak Bars

SAL SF Dinamo Minsk 2:4 Dinamo Molodechno

LEH Zug 5:3 Barys

August 18

EX Salavat Yulaev 1:2 Traktor, Spartak 2:0 Dynamo Moscow, Admiral 4:3 Verva Litvinov

SAL 3rd place game Dinamo Minsk 2:3 OT Neman Grodno

August 20

EX Sochi – Energie (in Karlovy Vary), Davos – Barys

RIG Ak Bars – Dinamo Minsk, Dinamo Riga – Avtomobilist

August 21

PUC Jokerit – Severstal, SKA – Torpedo

RIG Dinamo Minsk – Avtomobilist, Dinamo Riga – Lokomotiv

August 22

EX Liberec – Amur, Admiral – Zvolen, Lugano – Barys

MOS Dynamo Moscow – Vityaz, Spartak – CSKA

ROM Traktor – Kunlun Red Star, Metallurg - Sibir

RIG Lokomotiv – Ak Bars

PUC Avangard – Severstal, Sochi - Torpedo

August 23

EX Neftekhimik – Neftyanik (VHL)

PUC Avangard – Jokerit, SKA – Sochi

ROM Traktor – Sibir, Metallurg – Kunlun Red Star

RIG Ak Bars – Avtomobilist

August 24

MOS CSKA – Vityaz, Spartak – Dynamo Moscow

RIG Dinamo Riga – Dinamo Minsk, Lokomotiv – Avtomobilist

PUC Severstal – Torpedo

August 25

MOS Spartak – Vityaz, CSKA – Dynamo Moscow

PUC Avangard – Torpedo, Sochi – Severstal, SKA – Jokerit

ROM Kunlun Red Star – Sibir, Metallurg – Traktor

RIG Dinamo Minsk – Lokomotiv, Dinamo Riga – Ak Bars

August 26

EX Salavat Yulaev – Neftekhimik

PUC Sochi – Jokerit, SKA – Avangard

August 27

EX Motor – Amur (in Czech Republic), Salavat Yulaev – Avtomobilist

August 28

EX Spartak – Admiral, Salavat Yulaev – Neftekhimik

August 29

EX Vityaz – Dynamo Moscow, Linz – Amur (in Czech Republic), Lokomotiv - Severstal

When Alexander Ovechkin comes to visit, everyone pays attention. Especially when he hints at a possible return to play in Russia once his current NHL contract is done. Sven Andrighetto is already here, and he told KHL.ru all about his decision to join Avangard. And Amur Khabarovsk posted the most talked-about clip of the week when a real live tiger cub visited the locker room of the hockey-playing tigers.

Ovechkin hints at KHL return

Alexander Ovechkin, arguably Russia’s biggest hockey star, was back home this week as guest of honor at an exhibition game between Avangard and his former club Dynamo Moscow. The Great 8 also spoke about his plans for life after the Washington Capitals and hinted that he could come back to the KHL. “Let’s see what’s coming,” the Washington Capitals forward said. “In 2021 my contract in Washington expires and I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m looking at a range of options. Everything will depend on my health. I follow the KHL closely online and I think the league is developing the right way. And I always keep in touch with Dynamo Moscow.” Ovechkin began his hockey career at Dynamo and returned to his home club during the 2012/13 NHL lock-out. He currently has an advisory role with the Blue-and-Whites.

Photo: 15.08.19. Press-conference at opening of Avangard Hockey Academy branch office in Balashikha

Andrighetto excited about Avangard

Swiss international Sven Andrighetto joined Avangard this summer, making him only the third Swiss player to come to Russia. In an exclusive interview with KHL.ru he spoke about the role the Hawks’ Stanley Cup-winning head coach Bob Hartley played in bringing him here. “I talked with him multiple times before I came here. It was important for me to talk to the coach, important for me to know that he wants me to play for him,” Andrighetto said. “And I’m excited about working with him. He has such big experience in his career, in the NHL, working in the KHL last year. He’s worked in Switzerland, he’s coached a lot of great players. He explained to me how he wants to work with me, and it really captured my interest, so I’m happy to be working with him.”

Andrighetto – ‘The KHL is the best chance for me to get better as a player’

Goals for CSKA, disappointment for Dinamo Minsk

It was a fairly quiet week on the ice, but it still threw up some interesting results. Defending Gagarin Cup champion CSKA went on a goal blitz in Switzerland with a 9-3 win over Servette. That was a close game until the third period when the Army Men blasted six goals. Vityaz also scored heavily, with 15 goals in two games against Finnish opposition. Mikhail Kravets’ team fired blanks against SKA, though, and lost to a Viktor Tikhonov hat-trick. And there was an unusual Far East derby when Admiral and Amur met in the Czech Republic. A shoot-out win for Amur secured third place in the Zbynek Kusy Memorial Tournament. Dinamo Minsk suffered the week’s biggest disappointment, losing both of its games in the final four of the Belarus Cup and ending up outside the medals.

Coming up

It’s another big week of pre-season tournaments, with events in Moscow, St Petersburg, Riga and Magnitogorsk. Tuesday sees the start of the Latvian Railways Cup, with host Dinamo Riga facing Dinamo Minsk, Ak Bars, Lokomotiv and Avtomobilist. On Wednesday, the Puchkov Tournament gets underway in Petersburg, where SKA will compete with Jokerit, Severstal, Torpedo, Avangard and Sochi. The Romazan Memorial Trophy, Magnitogorsk’s traditional curtain-raiser, sees Metallurg, Traktor, Kunlun Red Star and Sibir doing battle from Thursday and the weekend’s Mayor of Moscow Cup features the capital’s three teams plus nearby Vityaz.

And finally …

Cat clips have powered social media since its inception, so it’s no surprise that when a tiger cup visited the Amur Khabarovsk locker room, the footage was a huge hit with animal lovers and hockey fans alike. Goalie Evgeny Kiselyov was the co-star of the clip, taking the cub for a spin around the ice. The Khabarovsk region is home to the Amur tiger, a protected species recovering from near-extinction; the club has long adopted the creature as its emblem.

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Где такое можно увидеть?!Да, только на территории Тигров! Мурчащий путешественник с удовольствием прокатился на руках Евгения Киселева. С нетерпением ждём ролик, который вы сможете оценить на первом домашнем матче! @khl @evgeny_kiselev_97 @mihail_tiger #ТерриторияТигров
Публикация от Hockey Club Amur (@hcamur) 11 Авг 2019 в 8:47 PDT

After the five-year reign of Peteris Skudra, Torpedo made it to the postseason with their debutant head coach. David Nemirovsky is now called to show his worth in a different Conference.

Last season

For Torpedo, it wasn't easy to find their way after Peteris Skudra's departure. However, David Nemirovsky holds his line with pride. After winning the first four games and some up and downs, Torpedo got to the playoffs with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, where they faced Barys. It was one of the best series of the Gagarin Cup playoffs, decided only in the third period of the seventh game – unfortunately for Torpedo, in favor of the Kazakh franchise.

Head Coach

For the Canadian-Russian David Nemirovsky, Torpedo was the first team that he led as the team's only head coach. Earlier he worked in Admiral as a sporting director, but he quickly decided that he wanted to work closer to the ice. Initially, he was one of Alexander Andrievsky's assistants, but after the boards decided to fire the head coach, he started leading the team with Fredrik Stillman.

Torpedo decided to gamble with a rookie head coach, but the move panned out. Nemirovsky didn't surpass Peteris Skudra in achievements but gave the fans what they wanted: a more offensive team. If the previous five years the team's credo was to play as hard as possible, with its new head coach Torpedo adopted a more attacking and combinational style, giving more chances to players that Skudra deemed too soft.

Arrivals

Goalie: Anders Lindback (HC Davos, Switzerland).

Defensemen: Charles Genoway (Frolunda, Sweden), Sergei Zborovsky (HC Sochi; trade), Kirill Melyakov (Sokol, VHL), Maxim Mineyev (Dynamo Moscow; trade through Avangard Omsk).

Forwards: Andrei Belevich (Dynamo Molodechno, Belarus), Stanislav Bocharov (HC Sochi), Pavel Varfolomeyev (Metallurg; trade), Alexander Gomolyako (Molot, VHL; trade through HC Sochi), Igor Levitsky (CSKA), Vladislav Mikhalchuk (Price George, WHL), German Poddubny (Erie, OHL), Quinton Howden (Dynamo Minsk; trade), Viktor Shakhvorostov (HK Sarov, VHL), Jordan Schroeder (Rockford, AHL), Paul Szczechura (Traktor).

Departures

Goalies: Barry Brust, Stanislav Galimov (Metallurg), Denis Kostin (Avangard; trade).

Defensemen: Matthew Bodie (Vaxjo, Sweden), Ilya Nazarevich (HC Sochi; trade), Philip Holm.

Forwards: Vladimir Galuzin (Metallurg), Andrew Calof (Traktor), Kirill Klopov, Akim Kolomarov (Tseng Tou), Vyacheslav Korotin, Pavel Makarenko, Andy Miele (Tucson, AHL), Denis Parshin (Metallurg), Robert Sabolic (Ambri-Piotta, Switzerland), Dmitry Semin.

Roster

If looking at all the KHL teams, you will hardly find a team who lost more forwards. Among last year's Torpedo top 10 scores, six moved on with different teams. One of them was the defenseman Philip Holm, one of the few KHL representatives for Sweden at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia. Torpedo has also lost its foreign offensive troika. Moreover, they also had to part ways with Russian players. Denis Parshin and Vladimir Galushin will now use their chemistry for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Cutting ties with Matthew Bodie and Barry Brust, Torpedo had to find a whole new foreign legion.

The new Torpedo's international squad seems very exciting. Not only Paul Szczechura and Charles Genoway already played in the KHL, but they earned a high authority doing so. Quinton Howden twice led Dinamo Minsk in points, while Jordan Schroeder and Anders Lindback will have to adapt to their new reality. However, it looks like things are doing well for Schroeder, who was recently awarded Best Forward honors at the Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor's Cup.

Finding a full-fledged replacement for Parshin and Galuzin on the Russian market was simply impossible. Torpedo will try to compensate for their departure via younger and hungrier players. Damir Zhafyarov's example of last year will give the fans the hope that German Poddubny and Pavel Varfolomeyev will be able to reanimate their career with the Torpedo jersey. Pretty much the same can be said for Igor Levitsky and Stanislav Bocharov. Moreover, Nemirovsky's offensive hockey should be a good fit for the young and offensive defensemen Sergei Zborovsky and Maxim Mineyev.

Leader: Mikhail Varnakov

In Torpedo's modern history, there are only a few players who could become stars also outside their native city. One of them was undoubtedly Alexei Potapov, who, however, already moved on and won the Gagarin Cup with Ak Bars Kazan in 2018. Vladimir Galuzin was another example, but he moved east to Magnitogorsk. This means that Torpedo's old-new leader will be Mikhail Varnakov.

Prospect: Maxim Mineyev

Nizhny Novgorod had at their disposal a high-performance line with Shurakov, Ilyin, and Rudenkov, who had a massive impact on Chaika's JHL triumph in 2015. However, today only Ilyin is with Torpedo. The team, however, can still count on champions Danil Veryayev and Kirill Urakov. Maxim Mineyev is a new face for the Volga-based squad, but it looks like the situation is developing the right way for him.

Andrei Skabelka entrusted Mineyev of a spot in the powerplay's units at Avangard, but as soon as Skabelka left the team, Mineyev found himself in trouble. He lined up for several organizations but couldn't find his touch with neither Severstal nor Dynamo Moscow. At 22, he has now a new chance to revitalize his career. Nemirovsky has already made it clear that creative players are more than welcome in his squad.

Expectations

The "sophomore slump" is mostly referred to players, but it can apply to coaches as well. Nemirovsky had a great rookie season with Torpedo but keeping the pace won't be an easy task. He needs to show that not only the usual suspects can play offensive hockey and that his Torpedo wasn't a one-season wonder. Torpedo will not only need to launch a couple of prospects but also find a way to increase production.

And we didn't even mention the main oddity: yet another exchange of conference. Nemirovsky and co. will check if getting to the playoffs is easier in the Eastern Conference. And also, if they will finally manage to at least win the first round. Skudra tried more than once to defeat CSKA and SKA, without much success. And to add further emotions to the mix, Nemirovsky played for both the Army clubs in his career.

HC Sochi is preparing for the new season with great ambition. The bulk of last season’s roster remains, and hopes are high that the new signings can lift the team to new heights if they perform to their potential. And, whatever the outcome, reaching the playoffs is now a familiar feat beside the Black Sea.

Last season

In four of its five KHL seasons, HC Sochi has reached the playoffs. It’s a record that speaks of stability, and the 2018/19 campaign was another solid one. Sergei Zubov’s team rarely endured a serious slump and was firmly in the top eight throughout the campaign on its way to a sixth-place finish in the West.

The playoffs brought another first-round exit, this time at the hands of Lokomotiv. But here, too, were signs of progress. In taking the Railwaymen to six games, Sochi produced its best ever post-season performance by winning both of its home games before fading in the decisive encounters.

Coach

Sergei Zubov’s career began at SKA but it seems that he’s found the perfect place to develop his hockey philosophy in Sochi. In both of his seasons behind the bench, the Leopards have reached the playoffs and there appears to be a good understanding between coach and club. The coach has grown in authority every season, gaining valuable experience, while the team further reinforces its status as a solid presence in the Western Conference.

Arrivals

Goalie: Nikita Bogdanov (SKA), Ilya Proskuryakov (Krefeld, DEL)

Defense: Simon Bertilsson (Brynas, SWE), Anatoly Yelizarov (Salavat Yulaev), Ilya Nazarevich (Torpedo), Alexei Petrov (Traktor), Morgan Ellis (Kolner Haie, DEL)

Offense: Ilya Krikunov (Avtomobilist), Denis Orlovich-Grudkov (SKA), Konstantin Sokolov (Saryarka, VHL), Malte Stromwall (KuKu, FIN).

Departures

Goalie: Konstantin Barulin (SKA), Pyotr Kochetkov (SKA)

Defense: Alexander Budkin, Sergei Zdoborovsky (Torpedo), Jyrki Jokipakki, Ziyat Paigin (Neftekhimik), Yegor Rykov (NY Rangers, NHL), Vadim Khomitsky.

Offense: Martin Bakos (Admiral), Kirill Belyayev (Torpedo-Gorky, VHL), Stanislav Bocharov (Torpedo), Eric O’Dell (Metallurg).

Roster

In the summer, Sochi saw the departure of leading players in all areas. Goalie Konstantin Barulin left for Neftekhimik after four years beside the Black Sea, top-scoring defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka also went. And two of the top three forwards, Eric O’Dell and Stanislav Bocharov, moved to Metallurg and Torpedo respectively.

Among the arrivals there are several players new to the KHL, making it hard to assess the squad’s prospects at this stage. Morgan Ellis and Simon Bertilsson made a good impression at the Sochi Hockey Open, where the host team had the most miserly defense at the event and allowed just four goals in four games. However, Malte Stromwall, the leading scorer in Finland last season and potentially the biggest summer signing for Sochi, showed little in the same tournament. There were more promising contributions from forward Ilya Krikunov and goalie Ilya Proskuryakov.

Leader – Robert Rosen

The Swedish forward was his team’s leading scorer in both regular season (40 points) and playoffs (4 points). And that in itself is a great reason to highlight Robert Rosen as a leader at his club even in his debut season. And there’s more: fellow Swede Malte Stromwall acknowledged the role Rosen played in bringing him to the club this summer. As well as doing the business on the ice, it seems that Rosen is also helping to attract more quality additions to the Sochi roster.

Prospect – Andrei Altybarmakyan

There are a good number of talented youngsters at HC Sochi who have been steadily picking up points. Stepan Starkov is one name that springs to mind. But we’re expecting big things from Andrei Altybarmakyan. First, after a moderate regular season, the forward came to life in the playoffs and scored two goals. Second, the 21-year-old is proving a hit off the ice as well as on it: his entertaining videoblog has attracted several thousand views on youtube.

Expectations

HC Sochi knows how to make the playoffs consistently but the next step – progressing past the first round in post season – demands some serious strengthening. The Western Conference is highly competitive, and nobody is going to reach new heights overnight. Has the summer made Sochi stronger? Only time will tell, and while success in the Sochi Hockey Open is a cause for optimism, it isn’t evidence enough to suggest definitive progress. So much depends on what the new imports contribute.

The 12^th KHL season is about to start. The teams are still trying to strengthen their lineups, but most of the players are already signed and practicing with the team. This, of course, includes the foreign legion, whose composition significantly changed in this offseason. It’s always exciting to analyze international players. Who they are? Where are they from?

In the previous 11 seasons, the KHL hosted 8960 games featuring 2754 players representing 24 countries. The following are the represented countries, in alphabetical order: Austria, Belarus, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, USA.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll consider the players’ nationality as it was at the moment they signed in the KHL, and now what it may be now. That is, for example, Kevin Dallman and Brandon Bochenski are considered as representing Canada and the USA, respectively, even if they own a Kazakh passport and represented the Kazakh national team. There are other examples. Eduard Lewandowski was born in Russia but later moved to Germany. If things are clear with most of the players coming from the far abroad, things aren’t that easy for the players from the former USSR countries. This is why we aren’t considering them here. The scope of the article is to show how ample is the geography of the League and analyze from what countries players get to it, not to follow every player’s personal fate.

The hottest commodity? Goalies

According to our calculations, 916 players – or 33.26% of the total – are players from far abroad. That is including cases like Dallman and Bochenski.

The following is a list of countries by number of players: Canada (236), Finland (155), Czech Republic (144), Slovakia (130), Sweden (102), USA (91), Croatia (16), Denmark (8), Slovenia (7), China (6), Norway (5), Germany, France (4), Austria, Italy, Switzerland (2), Hungary, Israel (1).

As you can see, there are six main countries, while many of the rest of the countries can be considered exotic. In the list of international players, there are 120 goalies (42.25% of the total number of goalies), 279 defensemen (31.74%), and 517 forwards (32.50%). As it’s possible to guess by the numbers, goalies are the hottest commodity among international players.

And now, most games played by player per country:

Austria: Bernd Bruckler (110), Canada: Kevin Dallman (620), China: Zach Yuen (121), Croatia: Mike Glumac (215), Czech Republic: Jiri Novotny (440), Denmark: Philip Larsen (249), Finland: Petri Kontiola (581), France: Stephane Da Costa (199), Germany: Eduard Lewandowski (429), Hungary: Karol Csanyi (2), Israel: Eliezer Sherbatov (35), Italy: Thomas Larkin (92), Norway: Patrick Thoresen (417), Slovakia: Tomas Starosta (425), Slovenia: Ziga Jeglic (252), Switzerland: Goran Bezina (56), Sweden: Staffan Kronwall (501), USA: Brandon Bochenski (455).

Top 10 international players in different categories:

Games played – goalies

Michael Garnett (Canada): 401, Jakub Kovar (Czech Republic): 327, Jakub Stepanek (Czech Republic): 307, Henrik Karlsson (Sweden): 262, Mikko Koskinen (Finland): 261, Karri Ramo (Finland): 247, Alexander Salak (Czech Republic): 237, Dominik Furch (Czech Republic): 234, Jeff Glass (Canada): 234, Rastislav Stana (Slovakia): 231.

Games played – defensemen

Kevin Dallman (Canada): 620, Staffan Kronwall (Sweden): 501, Juuso Hietanen (Finland): 481, Miroslav Blatak (Czech Republic): 433, Sami Lepisto (Finland): 431, Tomas Starosta (Slovakia): 425, Deron Quint (USA): 417, Filip Novak (Czech Republic): 407, Peter Podhradsky (Slovakia): 381, Jan Kolar (Czech Republic): 364.

Games played – Forwards

Matt Ellison (Canada): 594, Petri Kontiola (Finland): 581, Geoff Platt (Canada): 568, Niko Kapanen (Finland): 510, Nigel Dawes (Canada): 483, Jonas Enlund (Finland): 462, Brandon Bochenski (USA): 455, Dustin Boyd (Canada): 448, Oskar Osala (Finland): 442, Jiri Novotny(Czech Republic): 440.

Shutouts – Goalies

Jakub Kovar (Czech Republic): 32, Mikko Koskinen (Finland): 32, Michael Garnett (Canada): 31, Karri Ramo (Finland): 26, Alexander Salak (Czech Republic): 25, Henrik Karlsson (Sweden): 24, Dominik Furch (Czech Republic): 20, Juha Metsola (Finland): 20, Petri Vehanen (Finland): 20, Jakub Stepanek (Czech Republic): 19.

Goals – Defensemen

Kevn Dallman (Canada): 142, Deron Quint (USA): 76, Juuso Hietanen (Finland): 68, Patrik Hersley (Sweden): 63, Mat Robinson (Canada): 61, Staffan Kronwall (Sweden): 58, Peter Podhradsky (Slovakia): 54, Chris Lee (Canada): 54, Sami Lepisto (Finland): 52, Miroslav Blatak (Czech Republic): 47.

Goals – Forwards

Nigel Dawes (Canada): 247, Matt Ellison (Canada): 193, Brandon Bochenski (USA): 179, Geoff Platt (Canada) 176, Patrick Thoresen (Norway): 149, Marcel Hossa(Slovakia): 137, Petri Kontiola (Finland): 129, Jan Kovar (Czech Republic): 129, Dustin Boyd (Canada): 127, Justin Azevedo (Canada): 115, Teemu Hartikainen (Finland): 115.

Points – Defensemen

Kevin Dallman (Canada): 431, Chris Lee (Canada): 245, Juuso Hietanen (Finland): 215, Sami Lepisto (Finland): 211, Staffan Kronwall (Sweden): 210, Peter Podhradsky (Slovakia): 192, Deron Quint (USA): 190, Mat Robinson (Canada): 168, Patrik Hersley (Sweden): 164, Filip Novak (Czech Republic): 150.

Points – Forwards

Matt Ellison (Canada): 458, Nigel Dawes (Canada): 450, Brandon Bochenski (USA): 444, Patrick Thoresen (Norway): 382, Jan Kovar (Czech Republic): 377, Linus Omark (Sweden): 363, Petri Kontiola (Finland): 359, Geoff Platt (Canada): 351, Justin Azevedo (Canada): 301, Niko Kapanen (Finland): 298.

PIMs – defensemen

Filip Novak (Czech Republic): 591, Kevin Dallman (Canada): 493, Branislav Mezei (Slovakia): 485, Martin Grenier (Canada): 407, Tomas Kloucek (Czech Republic): 375, Sami Lepisto (Finland): 355, Shaone Morrisonn (Canada): 344, Peter Podhradsky (Slovakia): 340, Tomas Starosta (Slovakia): 325, Michal Sersen (Slovakia): 324.

PIMs – forwards

Darcy Verot (Canada): 796, Oskar Osala (Finland): 568, Chris Simon (Canada): 550, Matt Ellison (Canada): 542, Geoff Platt (Canada): 437, Stefan Ruzicka (Slovakia): 404, Jan Bulis (Czech Republic): 396, Jesse Joensuu (Finland): 387, Josh Gratton (Canada): 385, Martin Cibak (Slovakia): 381.

Picking the right foreigners is a sensitive matter, as it can easily go either way. 178 international players out of 916 played less than 20 games (19.43% or every fifth international player): 39 goalies, 46 defensemen, and 93 forwards. Many new international players are going to have their debut in the upcoming season, and everything will be clear by then.

The latest big pre-season tournament got underway in the Latvian capital and Dinamo Riga enjoyed a 3-0 win over Avtomobilist. Namesake Dinamo Minsk, meanwhile, continues to struggle and went down 0-3 against Ak Bars. Sochi suffered its first loss of the summer, going down in overtime to Energie Karlovy Vary.

Latvian Railways Cup

Ak Bars eases past Dinamo Minsk

The 11^th edition of Riga’s pre-season tournament got underway with a match-up between two teams that made significant changes to their personnel over the summer. For Ak Bars, Dmitry Kvartalnov took the opportunity to check on the depth of his roster; Dinamo’s Craig Woodcroft named a strong line-up in hope of improving some disappointing summer form.

Photo: 20.08.19. Latvian Railway Cup. Ak Bars (Kazan) - Dinamo (Minsk)

However, it was Ak Bars who looked more impressive. The Kazan team slightly outshot the opposition (31-29) and spent more time on the attack (11 minutes versus 10). But crucially, it put the game out of reach with a flurry of goals either side of the first intermission. Kristian Khenkel, a former Minsk player, picked up an assist early in the second frame as Artyom Mikheyev made the score 2-0; a minute later Kamil Fazylzyanov made it three.

Thus, Dinamo Minsk missed a chance to bounce back from the weekend’s losses in the Salei Cup. So far this summer, the Belarusian team has won just one game – and that against VHL newcomer Humo Tashkent.

Ak Bars Kazan 3 Dinamo Minsk 0 (1-0, 2-0, 0-0)

Goals: 1-0 Lyamkin (Lazarev, Fisenko 18:34 PP); 2-0 Mikheyev (Khenkel, Zaripov 24:05); 3-0 Fazylzyanov (25:05)

Goalies: Bilyalov – Osipkov

Ashton’s double gets Riga off to a winning start

The evening game saw tournament host Dinamo Riga take on Avtomobilist. The visitor went without its imports, while Dinamo sent out a strong line-up.

Photo: 20.08.19. Latvian Railway Cup. Dinamo (Riga) - Avtomobilist (Yekaterinburg)

Once again, Carter Ashton was a key figure. After impressing in the Sochi Hockey Open earlier this month, he potted two more goals here, finding the net late in each of the first two periods. One of the goals was at even strength, the other on the power play. Ben Marshall chipped in with a couple of assists.

Dinamo Riga 3 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0)

Goals: 1-0 Ashton (Marshall, Ullstrom 18:56 PP); 2-0 Ashton (J Berglund, K Berglund 35:07); 3-0 Darzins (Redlihs, Marshall 56:50 PP).

Goalies: Gudlevskis - Gross

Exhibition games

First defeat for Sochi

In the second game of its Czech camp, HC Sochi took on Energie from Karlovy Vary. Going into the game, Sergei Zubov’s team was one of just three KHL outfits not to lose in pre-season, a record shared with Traktor and Spartak. Energie had played two other KHL teams this summer, losing to Avtomobilist and Sibir.

The opening goal came midway through the first period through Matej Stritesky, but Sochi tied the game thanks to captain Sean Collins. That goal, early in the second stanza, came from assist by goalie Nikita Bogdanov. However, it wasn’t enough to save Sochi from its first defeat of the summer. The overtime winner went the way of the Czechs.

Energie Karlovy Vary 2 HC Sochi 1 OT (1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 1-0)

Goals: 1-0 Stritesky (Griger, Flek 8:23); 1-1 Collins (Bogdanov 21:15); 2-1 Skuhravy (Vondracek 63:19)

Goalies: Bednar – Bogdanov

Barys beaten in overtime

Barys continued its spell in Switzerland with a game against Davos in Zuchville, a small community between Berne and Zurich. The encounter brought a debut for American forward Eric Tangradi, who played on the right of the second line alongside Nikita Mikhailis and Corban Knight. The first line for Barys comprised Adam Helewka, Dustin Boyd and Iiro Pakarinen.

Davos took the lead, but Anton Sagadeyev’s goal took the game to overtime. However, in the extras Magnus Nygren’s power play goal gave Davos the verdict.

Davos 2 Barys Nur-Sultan 1 OT (1-0, 0-0, 0-1, 1-0)

Goals: 1-0 Corvi (Ambuhl 4:48); 1-1 Sagadeyev (Yevdokimov 46:19); 2-1 Nygren (Corvi, Palushaj 61:13 PP)

Goalies: Aeschlimann – Karlsson

EN.KHL.RU publishes the full pre-season schedule.

July 20

EX Admiral 1:2 Yermak (VHL)

July 21

EX Admiral 4:0 Yermak (VHL)

July 24

EX Dinamo Riga 1:2 SO Neftyanik (VHL)

July 25

EX Admiral 1:0 Amur

July 26

EX Dinamo Riga 6:1 Saryarka (VHL)

July 27

EX Admiral 0:6 Amur, Verva Litvinov 1:2 Spartak

July 28

EX Metallurg 3:2 Vityaz (in Garmisch-Partenkirchen), SKA 1:2 Tambov (VHL), SKA 3:2 Khimik (VHL)

July 30

EX Pirati 0:4 Avtomobilist

July 31

EX Vityaz 4:3 Metallurg (in Bressanone), Neftekhimik 2:4 Salavat Yulaev (in Finland)

August 1

EX Energie 2:4 Avtomobilist

August 2

EX Neftyanik (VHL) 1:2 SO Ak Bars, Jokerit 3:2 Neftekhimik (in Tikkurila)

REN Kunlun Red Star 3:5 Arizona University

August 3

EX Traktor 6:2 MAC Ujbuda (in Slovenia), Torpedo 2:1 Dynamo Moscow

SOC Lokomotiv 3:1 Avangard, Sochi 2:1 SO Dinamo Riga

August 4

SOC Avangard 3:4 Russia II, Sochi 2:1 SKA

MOU Mountfield 1:2 SO Spartak

REN Kunlun Red Star 8:4 ORG Beijing (VHL)

August 5

SOC Lokomotiv 1:4 Russia II, SKA 5:6 Dinamo Riga

MOU Spartak 0:8 Dinamo Pardubice

August 6

EX HPK 2:3 SO Sibir (in Valkeakoski), CSKA 3:1 Admiral

SOC Lokomotiv 3:2 Dinamo Riga, Sochi 2:1 OT Russia II

REN Kunlun Red Star 3:1 Yermak (VHL)

August 7

EX Jokerit 4:3 Sibir (in Valkeakoski), CSKA 3:1 Admiral

SOC Lokomotiv 0:4 SKA, Sochi 3:1 Avangard

MOU Spartak 5:3 Slovan

NNC Khumo (VHL) 3:6 Dinamo Minsk, Torpedo 2:3 Dynamo Moscow

KRP Neftekhimik 1:5 Avtomobilist, Barys 6:1 Ak Bars

REN Kunlun Red Star 1:6 Arizona University

August 8

SOC Russia II 2:3 Dinamo Riga, SKA 1:4 Avangard

NNC Dinamo Minsk 1:4 Dynamo Moscow, Torpedo 0:3 Khumo (VHL)

KRP Ak Bars 2:1 Salavat Yulaev, Barys 5:3 Neftekhimik

August 9

EX Jukurit 3:4 Vityaz (in Finland)

HAM Pelicans 2:3 OT Sibir

KRP Ak Bars 5:1 Neftekhimik, Salavat Yulaev 2:3 Avtomobilist

August 10

HAM Frankfurt Lowen 2:6 Sibir

CHE Severstal 1:2 Metallurg, Traktor 5:2 Tournament Selects

NNC Dynamo Moscow 4:1 Khumo (VHL), Torpedo 6:2 Dinamo Minsk

KRP Neftekhimik 1:2 SO Salavat Yulaev, Avtomobilist 2:3 Barys

August 11

CHE Metallurg 3:1 Tournament Selects, Traktor 2:1 Severstal

NNC 3rd place game - Dinamo Minsk 1:5 Khumo (VHL). Final - Torpedo 1:2 Dynamo Moscow

KRP Avtomobilist 4:3 SO Ak Bars, Salavat Yulaev 1:2 SO Barys

August 12

KUS Mountfield 7:0 Amur (in Hradec Kralove)

August 13

EX Vityaz 8:1 Pelicans (in Imatra), Sibir 3:2 Energie (in Karlovy Vary)

CHE Tournament Selects 2:3 OT Severstal, Traktor 3:0 Metallurg

KUS Admiral 4:1 Znojmo

August 14

EX Jokerit 1:2 SKA (in Tikkurila)

HOC CSKA 2:0 Lausanne

KUS Kosice 5:4 Admiral, Dinamo Pardubice 3:6 Amur

August 15

EX SaiPa 1:7 Vityaz, Sibir 5:2 Pirati (in Khomutov), Avangard 2:1 Dynamo Moscow

HOC CSKA 9:3 Genève Servett

August 16

EX SKA 3:0 Vityaz (in Espoo)

HOC CSKA 0:1 Fribourg Gotteron

KUS 3rd place game. Amur 4:3 SO Admiral

LEH Barys 4:1 Ambri-Piotta

August 17

EX Salavat Yulaev 0:1 Traktor, Sochi 4:3 Sparta (in Khomutov), Neftekhimik 1:2 OT Ak Bars

SAL SF Dinamo Minsk 2:4 Dinamo Molodechno

LEH Zug 5:3 Barys

August 18

EX Salavat Yulaev 1:2 Traktor, Spartak 2:0 Dynamo Moscow, Admiral 4:3 Verva Litvinov

SAL 3rd place game Dinamo Minsk 2:3 OT Neman Grodno

August 20

EX Sochi 1:2 OT Energie (in Karlovy Vary), Davos 2:1 OT Barys

RIG Ak Bars 3:0 Dinamo Minsk, Dinamo Riga 3:0 Avtomobilist

August 21

PUC Jokerit – Severstal, SKA – Torpedo

RIG Dinamo Minsk – Avtomobilist, Dinamo Riga – Lokomotiv

August 22

EX Liberec – Amur, Admiral – Zvolen, Lugano – Barys

MOS Dynamo Moscow – Vityaz, Spartak – CSKA

ROM Traktor – Kunlun Red Star, Metallurg - Sibir

RIG Lokomotiv – Ak Bars

PUC Avangard – Severstal, Sochi - Torpedo

August 23

EX Neftekhimik – Neftyanik (VHL)

PUC Avangard – Jokerit, SKA – Sochi

ROM Traktor – Sibir, Metallurg – Kunlun Red Star

RIG Ak Bars – Avtomobilist

August 24

MOS CSKA – Vityaz, Spartak – Dynamo Moscow

RIG Dinamo Riga – Dinamo Minsk, Lokomotiv – Avtomobilist

PUC Severstal – Torpedo

August 25

MOS Spartak – Vityaz, CSKA – Dynamo Moscow

PUC Avangard – Torpedo, Sochi – Severstal, SKA – Jokerit

ROM Kunlun Red Star – Sibir, Metallurg – Traktor

RIG Dinamo Minsk – Lokomotiv, Dinamo Riga – Ak Bars

August 26

EX Salavat Yulaev – Neftekhimik

PUC Sochi – Jokerit, SKA – Avangard

August 27

EX Motor – Amur (in Czech Republic), Salavat Yulaev – Avtomobilist

August 28

EX Spartak – Admiral, Salavat Yulaev – Neftekhimik

August 29

EX Vityaz – Dynamo Moscow, Linz – Amur (in Czech Republic), Lokomotiv - Severstal

After a dramatic first-round sweep, the former KHL reigning champion decided to part ways with several players, its captain, and even the head coach. Dmitry Kvartalnov, who successfully played in Kazan in the early 2000s, was entrusted of the rebuilding.

Last season

Following SKA's triumph in 2017, Ak Bars managed to bring the Gagarin Cup back to the East in 2018. However, the next season showed that things weren't working right since the beginning: in the very first game of the year, SKA hammered Ak Bars with six unanswered goals. That game perfectly showcased all the problems that the boss bench Zinetula Bilyaletdinov failed to fix during the season.

Not all the players managed to play at the same level of one year before – in particular, Stanislav Galiyev and Vladimir Tkachyov. Moreover, the team couldn't count on strong goaltending after Emil Garipov's injury. However, not even the most pessimist fan could imagine that Ak Bars would be the first team to go home after the first round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs. The future Gagarin Cup finalist from the Eastern Conference – Avangard Omsk – swept Kazan for a sensational first-round exit.

Head coach

Zinetula Bilyaletdinov's work in Kazan can only be labeled as a whole era. Any coach who will work there will be compared to Bilyaletdinov. In these cases, choosing an heir is not only a practical matter but also a symbolic one. Dmitry Kvartalnov, who spent four stellar seasons in Kazan at the dawn of the new century, was the right man at the right moment for Ak Bars. Many fans of the Green Jerseys remember the powerful troika of Kvartalnov, Datsyuk, and Zolotov. Kvartalnov even managed to play alongside a very young Danis Zaripov, who is now a legend for Ak Bars.

Regarding Kvartalnov as a coach, it is expected that the team will play with a more aggressive approach, and with a stronger accent on younger players. When training CSKA, the coach wasn't scared to put a young Ilya Sorokin between the piping and promoted to the first squad Andrei Kuzmenko, Maxim Mamin, and many other young players. The coach kept on pushing his agenda in Yaroslavl as well, where his team was made up of an unmatched number of local players. That is the main difference between the two bench bosses, if we exclude, of course, their hardware collection. Kvartalnov was very close to the Gagarin Cup title with CSKA in 2016 but eventually lost to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, led by Ilya Vorobyov.

Arrivals

Goalies: Timur Bilyalov (Dinamo Riga; trade), Ilya Golubev (Neftyanik, VHL), Adam Reideborn (Djurgarden, Sweden).

Defensemen: Kirill Adamchuk (Neftyanik, VHL; trade), Mikael Wikstrand (Farjestad, Sweden), Oleg Zheleznov (Neftyanik, VHL), Gleb Maltsev (try-out; Typhoon, JHL), Damir Musin (Neftekhimik; trade), Igor Ozhiganov (Toronto, NHL); Adel Sadykov (try-out; Sibir), Kristian Khenkel (Dinamo Minsk).

Forwards: Danil Voyevodin (Neftyanik, VHL; trade), Emil Galimov (Neftekhimik; trade), Patrice Cormier (Barys), Daniil Lipin (Yermak, VHL; trade), Boris Levitsky (Yermak, VHL; trade), Kirill Petrov (Avangard), Mikhail Fisenko (Avangard), Matthew Frattin (Barys), Maxim Khapov (Neftyanik, VHL).

Departures

Goalies: Maxim Kalayev, Vladislav Podyapolsky (Severstal), Alexander Sharychenkov (Neftekhimik).

Defensemen: Radik Akhmetgaliev (Buran, VHL), Rafael Batyrshin (Avtomobilist), Daniil Kurashov (HK Tambov, VHL), Roman Manukhov (Avangard), Andrei Markov, Eduard Nasybullin (CSK VVS, VHL), Maxim Orlov (HK Ryazan, VHL), Paul Postma (Metallurg), Mikhail Sidorov (Lokomotiv; trade), Timur Faktullin (Neftyanik, VHL; trade).

Forwards: Rob Klinkhammer, Anton Lander (Lokomotiv), Dmitry Litvinov, Fyodor Malykhin (Traktor), Andrei Popov (Traktor), Alexei Potapov (Avangard), Alexander Svitov (Lokomotiv), Jiri Sekac (CSKA), Radel Fazleyev (Neftekhimik; trade), Denis Shinkarenko.

Roster

If considering Ak Bars' triumphal season, it's hard to underestimate the value of the international players. Moreover, not only the first line but also Rob Klinkhammer, who scored the cup-clinching goal against CSKA. However, things are always on the move, and this offseason the team changed almost all the foreigners. Kazan couldn't satisfy Anton Lander's financial requests, Jiri Sekac dreamed about moving to the NHL, but in the end moved to Moscow, and Rob Klinkhammer wasn't deemed good enough for an import spot after the last season. All things considered, the signing of Patrice Cormier and Matthew Frattin doesn't look like a step forward. The former Barys' duo never met significant achievements, and in Barys they played in different lines, even if Ak Bars signed them to play together. However, it should be noticed that Cormier is a power forward who incarnate Kvartalnov's hockey philosophy, while Frattin played very well in last year's playoffs.

After last year's disappointing campaign, Ak Bars decided to part ways not only with one of the most experienced coaches in the League but also with two veterans. After six years, the former captain Alexander Svitov left the team, and Igor Ozhiganov was signed to replace his youth idol, Andrei Markov. Kazan also signed off Avangard two players who contribute to their first-round exit of last year: Kirill Petrov and Mikhail Fisenko. However, the most intriguing situation should be the goaltending zone. After freeing Alexander Sharychenkov and Vladislav Podyapolsky, who both never played at the supposed level for a starting goalie, Kazan signed back Timur Bilyalov from Riga and won the battle to sign the best goalie of the Swedish league, Adam Reideborn. Moreover, he didn't get to Kazan alone, but with his fellow countrymate Mikael Wikstrand. Emil Garipov is still recovering from his old injury, and it looks like all three goalies have an even chance to become Kazan's go-to man in net.

Leader: Justin Azevedo

When asked who could play in the NHL, Kazan's new defenseman Igor Ozhiganov named Justin Azevedo right away. According to the blueliner – who just signed back to Russia after a one-year stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs – the only thing of which Azevedo is lacking is the size. Even with his tiny body, it's hard to catch the Canadian forward off the guard. Moreover, he is gifted with a great technique and a high hockey QI. Last time around, he was Kazan's second scorer, trailing only to Jiri Sekac, but his importance for the team was second to none. Azevedo's worth is also recognizable because Ak Bars decided to change its whole foreign legion but him. This way, the boards count on him to help the rebuilding being as smooth as possible. Azevedo will be Kazan's "glue" between newly signed and existing players.

Prospect: Daniil Zhuravlyov

It is expected that Kvartalnov will give younger players more than a chance. Since the first few practices, the new bench boss gave Artyom Galimov a spot in the team. The young center won the bronze medal with Team Russia at the 2019 WJC in Canada. He played alongside with Daniil Zhuravlyov, who can get back for a second WJC next December in the Czech Republic. If Zhuravlyov plays the whole season with Ak Bars, he will be a powerful weapon for Valery Bragin's squad. Kvartalnov is already playing Zhuravlyov in the roster, forgiving his mistakes and rawness. The 19-years-old player is expected to take on the role of the team's development player. However, he has a chance to win the coach's trust even without the help of the rulebook.

Expectations

Even if the first preseason results weren't that great, hardly Ak Bars Kazan won't be a contender next year. Its roster features many famed names, and Kvartalnov earned for himself a reputation of a capable coach who can build a team even without much time on his hands. However, many of the older players will need some time to adapt to a new head coach. Most likely, the team will lack some balance initially, but even if the start of the season will be slow, Kvartalnov's squad shouldn't have any problem to reach the playoffs.

Of course, a lot will depend on the new international players. On paper, the duo of Cormier and Frattin looks worse than Lander and Sekac, but what will it be on the rink? Russian players can also step up to the rescue. Vladimir Tkachyov may revitalize his career as he is potentially the team's most creative center after Lander's departure. But most exciting is the goaltending situation: if Kvartalnov can find the right balance between all the three goalies, Kazan will solve most of last year's problems. In any case, no matter the result, it will be very exciting to follow Ak Bars without Zinetula Bilyaletdinov.

During the offseason, Traktor strengthened its lineup with the Czech forward Tomas Hyka, who is now about to have his official debut in the Kontinental Hockey League. Hyka talked with KHL.ru about his first impressions with his new team, shared some thoughts about Peteris Skudra’s style, and virtually tipped his hat to Jaromir Jagr.

“Pavel Francouz recommended me to move to Chelyabinsk”

Tomas Hyka signed with Traktor in June and had plenty of time to adapt to his new reality. He looks excited with his new team and city. “I have only the best impressions so far,” the forward says. “Chelyabinsk is a big city with many positive things. I live in a neat district, where everything is within walking distance – including restaurants. I received a strong impression from the KHL as well. Here many teams play on the big ice, players are excellent and so is the pace of the game. You have to move around a lot. I love this kind of hockey.”

Like many other international players who move to Russia, Hyka resorted to his countrymates before taking a final decision. “My friend Pavel Francouz played three seasons in Chelyabinsk,” he explains. “I have asked him about both the city and the team. Many other Czechs played here earlier, and I have heard only positive feedback. Thus, I have decided to sign with Traktor.”

Pavel Francouz, who is now stopping pucks in North America for the Colorado Avalanche, also seems to be satisfied with the years he spent in Chelyabinsk. “Pavel told me that Traktor is a great organization and that his three years were like just one instant. According to him, Chelyabinsk is not like Moscow, but its team has the same great traditions. He was pleased with the time he spent with Traktor.”

“Francouz also told me about the district where I live – along the Lesoparkovskaya street. He told me that it’s the best place in Chelyabinsk. There are good restaurants and a park nearby. I already visited it, and I loved it. It turns out that Pavel was right.”

“I already understand the Russian language”

Hyka, however, was attracted not only by the park. “I know that Chelyabinsk was nicknamed “Tankograd” and has a rich and deep history. When my whole family is here, we’ll visit the outdoor tank museum in the park.”

Chelyabinsk is a popular destination with Czech players. And not only. “Francouz told me about a Czech man who lives in the city for 20 years already,” Hyka explains. “He gave me his contacts. However, we are yet to meet. I know that there is a Czech restaurant, but I also didn’t have a chance to get there so afar. During the Traktor Open event, some Czech fans approached me. I’m sure that I will have even more chances to get to know more of my countrymates in Chelyabinsk and in Russia.”

As for any other import player, the knowledge of the local language plays a substantial role in a player’s adaptation and Hyka is no exception to it. “I’m actively studying the Russian language. For now, I don’t know many words, but I can follow what the people are saying,” the forward explains. “The Russian language is similar to the Czech, and this helps. I can’t actually talk yet, but I think that in three to four months my Russian will be at an excellent level.”

Talking about adaptation, it also helps when a player is joined by a countrymate. Traktor can now boast a dynamic Czech duo with Hyka and Lukas Sedlak. “Lukas and I are represented by the same agent. When I was negotiating with Traktor, he told me that Lukas was also joining the team. Sedlak and I are friends since the junior national team times, and it’s great to be playing with him.”

So far, Skudra is playing them on a line with Canadian forward Christian Thomas. “It’s great to play with them,” Hyka admits. “Tommy already knows the League as he played here last year. Generally speaking, most of the players in Chelyabinsk talk English. In the team, everybody looks out for each other, and this helps to form the necessary chemistry.”

Hyka also praised his new head coach Peteris Skudra, and not only because of his excellent command of the English language. “He reads very well the game, and he works in the KHL for a long time already. As far as I understand, he likes a fast and physical game. This kind of hockey fits my style.”

Skudra, who coached Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod for five seasons before taking a one-year hiatus and then joining Traktor, is known for his emotional conduct. “Every coach is different. I already have experience with expressive coaches. I understand that emotions help Skudra in getting things done on the ice. Peteris is a great coach, and I hope that we will be able to play exactly the way he wants.”

“I’ve already heard about the Russian tires drills”

Hyka’s resume now includes a hard preseason in Russia, where teams are renowned for their hard practices. “It was a tough preseason, but it’s the kind of work that helps you to get ready for the new season. You get to understand your role for the team and your teammates.” The Czech forward also admitted to already know the Russian tires drills. “Yes! I know them!”– He laughs off. “My teammates sent me some clips. It’s when a guy sits in a tire, and another player pushes him back and forth for 30 minutes. But we didn’t do it yet with Traktor. By the way, I’ve also heard the Cooper test, but once again, we haven't had it yet.”

“Shipachyov had a hard time because he didn’t know the language”

Hyka was well-informed about the KHL even before moving to Chelyabinsk. “I know that the KHL is one of the best leagues in the world. It has many excellent players, a fast-paced game and well-organized teams. I watched many highlights, especially during the playoffs. Sometimes in the Czech Republic the local TV broadcasts KHL games and I watched them. I also watched some of the All-Star games, I enjoyed them.”

In the latest two seasons, Hyka tried to get a full-time NHL spot in Las Vegas but played only a handful of games with the big boys. “I spent two seasons with the Golden Knights, and I played a few games in the NHL, it was an incredible experience. Last year I played mostly for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, and we reached the Calder Cup finals. Even if we didn’t win, it was a tremendous experience. Getting to the NHL would have been very hard. The team signed so many new players, and there was no room for me there.” Playing in the world’s central entertainment city was a new experience for Tomas. “It was fun to be there. In Vegas, it’s an eternal show. However, it’s a fantastic place with many good people. I enjoyed spending my free time there.”

A couple of years ago, Vadim Shipachyov was one of the first players signed by the desert franchise. His move didn’t pan out, and after playing only three games in the NHL, he got back to Russia, signing with SKA. Shipachyov also said to not have fallen in love with the city. “I think that it was hard for Vadim because he didn’t know the language and it was his first time playing abroad. I liked Vegas, there’s a lot there, not only casinos. I found there some Czech friends who lived there for 20 years. As I could go places with them, it was easier for me.”

The Czech forward has represented his country at most competitions, but now he will once again have to play at the Euro Hockey Tour. He seems to be excited with the opportunity: “I’m always ready to play for the national team, and I never declined an invitation,” Hyka says. “It will be exciting to represent the Czech Republic at the EHT. I played two IIHF World Championships, and it was a great time.” Both times, however, the Czech Republic was defeated at the quarterfinals stage. “Yes, once by the Russians, and another time by the USA,” Hyka recalls. “The latter was particularly bad because we had an excellent team and it was a close game. However, the Americans had Patrick Kane at their disposal: he scored twice and decided the outcome of the match.”

The Czechs won their last WC in 2010. “I don’t even recall when we won a medal at the event! Of course, this is unpleasant, but the team is working hard, and I hope that next year we’ll at least get to the podium.”

During an interview, Hyka declared that his idol is Jaromir Jagr. “Of course, he’s a true warrior and a legend!”– The Czech forward admits. “No matter what age he is at, 24 or 42, he always worked hard. Jagr loves hockey, and that’s the reason why he keeps on playing. I hope that everything will be good with his health and that he will keep on playing next season. I also hope that I can follow his example. Any hockey player wants to play as much as possible. Jagr is one of the few who can potentially play until 50. He really works very hard.”

“My father is still watching after me”

Tomas started playing hockey following the footsteps of his father, who was a pro in the Czech elite league in the 90s. “My father put me on skates when I was 5. I also played football, but I picked hockey because I wanted to be like my father,” he says. “He coached me when I started playing. He was pretty tough, but now I only have to thank him for his approach. Everything I achieved in sports was only thanks to my father.”

Hyka’s father keeps on watching all his son’s games and calls him to tell his opinion. The forward feels that it helps him to play even better. “My father can’t wait to have a chance to fly to Russia to watch me in person,” Hyka says. “Moreover, it will be more comfortable for him to watch my games in the KHL, if compared to the NHL, because of the time zones.”

Just as most of his colleagues, Hyka has set high goals for the season. “Our goal is to get to the playoffs and win the Gagarin Cup. We will get there with a game-by-game approach. We will work very hard during the practices to show the kind of hockey our coach is expecting from us. Of course, it is crucial to have fun while playing.”

KHL.ru dossier

Tomas HYKA

Born on March 23, 1993, in Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic).

Career: Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic – 2010-11, 2014-17; Gatineau Olympiques, QMJHL – 2011-13; Farjestad, Sweden – 2013-14; Chicago Wolves, AHL – 2017-19; Vegas Golden Knights, NHL – 2018-19; Traktor, KHL – 2019-today.

Tournament host Dinamo Riga and contender Ak Bars completed day two of the Latvian Railways Cup with unbeaten records. Ak Bars started with a 5-2 win over Avtomobilist before Dinamo downed Lokomotiv 3-1.

Zaripov stars in Ak Bars win

Ak Bars began the tournament with a routine 3-0 victory over Dinamo Minsk. In the second game, it faced Avtomobilist and recorded another win by a three-goal margin. This time, though, the Kazan team only secured the verdict at the end of the game. Danis Zaripov got the game-winner in the 56^th minute and he collected three points on the night.

Avtomobilist’s big summer signing Pavel Datsyuk is still waiting to make his debut for his new team, but the was a goal for another newcomer in Yekaterinburg, Geoff Platt.

Ak Bars Kazan 5 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 (1-1, 1-0, 3-1)

Goals: 1-0 Galimov (Galiyev, Zaripov 3:53 PP); 1-1 Berezin (Litovchenko 19:57); 2-1 Galiyev (29:51 SH); 2-2 Platt (Tryamkin 50:27); 3-2 Zaripov (Galiyev 55:25); 4-2 Galimov (Osnovin, Fisenko 58:53); 5-2 Galiyev (Zaripov 59:50).

Goalies: Reideborn – Fomin

Dinamo maintains 100% start

Host club Dinamo Riga took on a Lokomotiv team starting its campaign at this year’s Latvian Railways Cup. Loko’s head coach Craig MacTavish continued his policy of testing out as many different lines as possible during pre-season and sent out Stepan Sannikov, Anton Lander and Pavel Kudryavtsev as his top line here.

Photo: 21.08.19. Latvian Railway Cup. Dinamo (Riga) - Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)

That combination clicked early on as Lokomotiv took a third-minute lead, but Dinamo was not about to be denied. Loko ran into penalty trouble and Riga tied the game during a 5-on-3 advantage late in the opening stanza. The game brought goals from new signings Jacob Berglund and David Ullstrom, while Carter Ashton added an assist to the two goals he scored yesterday. Dinamo and Ak Bars are out in front in the tournament table, both with two wins from two games.

Dinamo Riga 3 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 (1-1, 1-0, 1-0)

Goals: 0-1 Kudryavtsev (Sannikov, Lander 2:59); 1-1 J Berglund (Ashton, Ullstrom 18:54 PP); 2-1 Gegeris (37:01); 3-1 Ullstrom (Redlihs 48:02)

Goalies: Gudlevskis – Konovalov

The Puchkov Tournament in St. Petersburg got underway Wednesday with wins for Jokerit (2-1 over Severstal) and SKA (6-1 against Torpedo). For SKA, it represented an impressive start after a disappointing performance in its last summer tournament in Sochi.

Kalnins impresses for Jokerit

Jokerit and Severstal were the first teams to try out St. Petersburg’s new, NHL-sized ice pad in a serious game. Surprisingly, the Finns decided not to use new signing Antti Niemi in goal – despite his huge experience in North America, including a Stanley Cup win in 2010, he was rested to allow Janis Kalnins the start.

Photo: 21.08.19. Nikolai Puchkov memorial tournament. Jokerit (Helsinki) - Severstal (Cherepovets)

The Latvian let nobody down, however. Indeed, Jokerit’s narrow victory owed much to the ex-Dinamo Riga man’s fine performance. The Finns got ahead with a power play goal from Niklas Jensen late in the first period before the teams traded quick goals in the middle frame. Ansel Galimov, who not long ago was posting half-joking ‘come and get me!’ pleas on Instagram, got Severstal’s goal but could not save his new employer from defeat.

Jokerit Helsinki 2 Severstal Cherepovets 1 (1-0, 1-1, 0-0)

Goals: 1-0 Jensen (Kontiola, Lepisto 18:50 PP); 2-0 Kivisto (O’Neill 27:22); 2-1 Galimov (Sulak 27:58)

Goalies: Kalnins – Podyapolsky

Powerful Petersburg starts in style

The host team started its tournament in the evening game and its first line powered an emphatic win over Torpedo. Alexei Kudashov seems to have decided that the trio of Vladimir Tkachyov, Jori Lehtera and Sergei Plotnikov will form his first line and today they showed just what they have to offer.

Photo: 21.08.19. Nikolai Puchkov memorial tournament. SKA (St.Petersburg) - Torpedo (Nizhny Novgorod)

It took precisely one minute for Plotnikov to open the scoring. SKA’s new captain beat Anders Lindback on a delayed penalty and went on to add a second midway through the opening frame. Pavel Varfolomeyev found a quick response to that goal, but subsequently it was all about the host.

Tkachyov added a third goal early in the second period and there was more to come as Ilya Kablukov, Viktor Tikhonov and Alexei Byvaltsev completed a convincing win.

SKA St. Petersburg 6 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 1 (2-1, 2-0, 2-0)

Goals: 1-0 Plotnikov (1:00); 2-0 Plotnikov (Dyblenko, Zemchyonok 13:26); 2-1 Varfolomeyev (13:49); 3-1 Tkachyov (Plotnikov, Byvaltsev 21:06 PP); 4-1 Kablukov (Kagarlitsky 22:13); 5-1 Tikhonov (Ketov 47:39); 6-1 Byvaltsev (Karpov, Kagarlitsky 57:30)

Goalies: Hellberg - Lindback

Dynamo Moscow signed a one-year deal with forward Dmitrij Jaskin.

In addition, Moscow team signed a one-year deal with defenseman Michal Cajkovsky. Dynamo acquired rights of this player after trade with Avtomobilist, the Ural team got a monetary compensation.

Metallurg seriously strengthened the roster over the summer and, in theory, should be among the favorites in the East. The first pre-season tournament in Chelyabinsk saw Magnitka claim second place. But only the KHL campaign will show whether the coaching staff can turn a stacked roster into a stellar team.

Last season

Metallurg went into the season without Jan Kovar, but the absence of the Czech center did not greatly upset the team in the regular season. Josef Jandac’s men never went more than three games without a win and rattled in 182 goals, the third highest in the Eastern Conference. That enabled Magnitka to overtake Ak Bars on the home straight and claim third place in the table.

That was the end of the good news. The playoffs brought a match-up against Salavat Yulaev, a team with greater potential than a sixth-place finish suggested. Four of the games went to overtime, with the teams winning two each, but Metallurg never managed to recover from two heavy losses at the start of the series.

Coach

Josef Jandac left his post with the Czech national team to take over at Metallurg before the start of last season. The 50-year-old had spent almost all his career in his homeland, apart from a short spell in Korea at the start of his time as a coach. For many, it was a surprise that Jandac was invited to continue in post for a second season. The Czech failed to get through even the first round of the playoffs and Metallurg finished with its worst season in six years.

Everything that worked during the regular season stopped delivering in the playoffs. That bright, attacking game disappeared, the team’s leaders underperformed and the power play misfired. But the team kept faith with Jandac’s coaching and the summer transfer campaign suggests that there are high hopes of players and coaching staff in the coming season.

Arrivals

Goalie: Stanislav Galimov (Torpedo)

Defense: Artyom Minulin (Everett, WHL), Paul Postma (Ak Bars), Yegor Yakovlev (New Jersey Devils, NHL)

Offense: Dmitry Buinitsky (Dinamo Minsk), Vladimir Galuzin, Denis Parshin (both Torpedo), Brandon Kozun, Andrei Loktionov (both Lokomotiv), Eric O’Dell (HC Sochi)

Departures

Goalies: Artyom Zagidullin (Calgary Flames, NHL), Pavel Nechistovsky (Khumo, VHL)

Defense: Nikita Bobryashov (Admiral), Valery Vasiliev, Alexander Igoshev (both Amur), Yakov Rylov (Spartak)

Offense: Michal Bulir (Liberec, CZE), Pavel Varfolomeyev (Torpedo), Vladislav Dyukarev (Dynamo Moscow), Iiro Pakarinen (Barys), Denis Platonov (retired), Andrei Chibisov (Winnipeg Jets, NHL), Nick Shore (Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL), Matt Ellison, Nikita Yazkov (Amur)

Roster

Over the summer, Metallurg seriously restructured its team and paid particular attention to the offense. Matt Ellison and Iiro Pakarinen, both among the top five scorers last season, moved on. But their replacements look to be stronger. Almost all of Magnitka’s summer signings are for the ‘here and now’. These players are not signed for their potential to be future stars, they are expected to deliver results from the start of the season. Paul Postma and Yegor Yakovlev are stellar defensemen in the KHL, Denis Parshin, Eric O’Dell, Andrei Loktionov, Brandon Kozun and Vladimir Galuzin were either leading scorers at their former clubs or played a significant role last season. Right now, Metallurg has so many powerful forwards that Josef Jandac can calmly move Sergei Mozyakin to the third line without any loss of scoring.

Leader – Sergei Mozyakin

It’s a long time since Mozyakin transcended the status of a star and moved to an even higher level. Today, more than any other player, he is the face of the KHL, a figure with whom the league is closely associated. Even at the age of 38, he remains an undisputed leader of his team and topped the scoring last season with 55 points. But, apparently, the new campaign will bring a new role for this master marksman. In pre-season, Jandac has frequently deployed Mozyakin on the third line. It’s hard to imagine this will provoke a conflict in the locker room. Mozyakin isn’t the kind of player to protest the perceived loss of status that might come with leaving the first line. Instead, he will continue to focus on doing his job and bringing the best results for his team, regardless of the role he is assigned.

Prospect – Pavel Dorofeyev

This young forward made a big impact in his rookie campaign in the Youth Hockey League, scoring 39 (19+20) points. Pavel Dorofeyev also made his KHL debut back in September last year. The 18-year-old did well at the highest level, featuring in 23 games throughout the regular season and managing to claim his first goal in the KHL.

Expectations

Magnitka’s roster looks like one of the most powerful in the Eastern Conference. In particular, the offense looks very strong and should prove to be Metallurg’s driving force this season. On paper, it all looks great but there are still questions about how it will go in reality. First, it’s not entirely clear how well head coach Josef Jandac will cope with the pressure. Big things are expected, and after the failures of last spring the questions about his coaching won’t go away during the coming season. Second, it remains to be seen how the new arrivals will fit in. The Governor’s Cup in Chelyabinsk did not – and could not – really answer that question. We’ve only seen the first steps and, at best, the Romazan Memorial Cup will start to show some clearer outlines. In any event, though, Metallurg will go into the season as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference.

The first day of Magnitogorsk’s Romazan Memorial Trophy brought a convincing win for Metallurg over Sibir. Earlier, Kunlun Red Star grabbed an overtime win over Traktor thanks to ex-Magnitka man Wojtek Wolski. In today’s exhibition games, Neftekhimik got its first win of the summer, while Admiral finished its time in Europe with a win.

Wolski pots overtime winner for Kunlun

The Romazan Memorial tournament started with Kunlun Red Star defeating Traktor in overtime. Wojtek Wolski got the decisive goal in the first minute of the extras, securing a win for the Chinese team.

Red Star was playing its first game of the summer with a full-strength roster; the Renaissance Cup in Beijing early this month saw a KRS Select line-up, heavy on Chinese prospects from the VHL, but today Curt Fraser sent out something close to a full-strength roster. And he was rewarded by contributions from several of the summer signings. Adam Cracknell, who brings extensive NHL experience, got the opening goal in the third minute; his old San Diego Gulls team-mate Andrej Sustr had an assist as Spencer Foo made 2-0 at the start of the third.

Traktor, though, hit back to tie the game with Yaroslav Kosov celebrating his new contract by netting the 2-2 goal. Moments later, Ethan Werek, Red Star’s most recent signing restored Kunlun’s lead but Traktor tied the game once again in the third before losing out when Wolski fired past Chelyabinsk prospect Ivan Fedotov to win it in the extras.

Kunlun Red Star 4 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 OT (1-0, 2-2, 0-1, 1-0)

Goals: 1-0 Cracknell (Fram 2:08); 2-0 Foo (Sustr 21:22); 2-1 Shepelev (Mikulovich, Penkovsky 24:48 PP); 2-2 Kosov (Alexeyev, Tridchikov 30:18); 3-2 Werek (Wong 32:33); 3-3 Babenko (Alexeyev, Sholokhov 51:21); 4-3 Wolski (60:49)

Goalies: Hrubec – Fedotov

Peteris Skudra, head coach, Traktor

This tournament is our last chance to confirm which players we can really rely on in the coming season. In our home tournament there were good reasons why we couldn’t look at all our players so here I wanted to check the depth on our roster. I wanted to see who would step up as a leader. Our start was a bit weak but in the second period the guys understood that they needed a bit more aggression. Then we played really well.

Curt Fraser, head coach, Kunlun Red Star

We didn’t have a chance to play a pre-season game up to now because of our geographical location. It’s tough for teams to come to us, and it’s not easy for us to travel either. So I’m glad that finally we got to play some hockey. And I’m especially pleased that we could start with a win. Wojtek Wolski is a real leader on our team. I’m happy for him that he scored today and, most important, that it was the winning goal.

Wojtek Wolski, forward, Kunlun Red Star

We knew this would be a tough game because everyone else has played some hockey this summer and we haven’t. This was an important fixture, it gave us a chance to assess our progress and our physical condition. For me, it’s always a bit special to come back to Magnitogorsk and it’s great that I could get the winner. It’s a good motivation to go out and pick up more points [in the rest of the tournament].

Grand opening for Magnitka

Metallurg put on a big show to open its home tournament – and then the fireworks followed on the ice. It took just three minutes for Roman Lyubimov to open the scoring, setting his team on its way to a convincing victory over Sibir. The goals kept coming: Eric O’Dell scored twice, fellow newcomers Denis Parshin and Brandon Kozun both collected 1+1 and Sergei Mozyakin wrapped it up with a power play goal late on.

For Magnitka, it was a release. In earlier pre-season action, Josef Jandac’s team had struggled to score goals but here the offense showed off what it could do. Sibir, on this occasion, had no answers.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 6 Sibir Novosibirsk 0 (2-0, 2-0, 2-0)

Goals: 1-0 Lyubimov (Nekolenko, Antipin 3:48); 2-0 O’Dell (Dronov, Kozun 18:34); 3-0 Kozun (Kulemin, Matushkin 30:35 PP); 4-0 Parshin (Vereshchagin 32:22); 5-0 O’Dell (Postma, Bereglazov 41:59); 6-0 Mozyakin (Parshin 52:41 PP)

Goalies: Koshechkin – Krasikov

Josef Jandac, head coach, Metallurg

We’re happy with the result and the performance. You could see today already how we’re skating better. The only blot was when Bereglazov took a puck to the arm. Right now we don’t know how bad it is, we need an X-ray. Hopefully it’s not a serious injury.

Eric O’Dell, forward, Metallurg

It was great, I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the arena. They were loud behind us today. We played a good game: solid on defense and taking our chances at the other end. I wouldn’t say I was all that nervous before my first game here. I prepared the same as usual, I just wanted to go out and do my best for the team. And my partners, Brandon Kozun and Sergei Mozyakin, did everything right for my goals, I just had to make sure I put them in the net.

Nikolai Zavarukhin, head coach, Sibir

We didn’t get started today. The home team dominated from the start and against a team like that you can’t afford to get on the back foot. We didn’t make enough hits, block enough shots.

Exhibition games

Neftekhimik gets a win at last

Neftekhimik finally ended its pre-season losing streak in this exhibition game against CSK VVC from Samara. Vyacheslav Butsayev’s team had yet to win this summer, but called on reinforcements in the form of veteran defenseman Vitaly Atyushov. The 40-year-old was at the club on a try-out and secured a permanent deal in the last few days. Today he slotted into the third pair of blue-liners.

There were more summer signings in prominent roles: goalie Konstantin Barulin continued, while imports Zack Mitchell and Matt White joined Alexander Avtsin on the top line. However, the key players proved to be Pavel Poryadin and Timur Khafizov, who scored two goals apiece. And Atyushov chipped in with an assist as well.

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 6 CSK VVC Samara 2 (1-0, 2-0, 3-2)

Neftekhimik goals: 1-0 Poryadin (Rybakov, Chernikov 10:01); 2-0 Khafizov (Atyushov 22:04); 3-0 Poryadin (Kulikov, Zakharchuk 37:14 SH); 4-1 Bikmullin (41:37); 5-2 Khafizov (Bikmullin, Bryntsev 54:12 PP); 6-2 Kulikov (Kazionov 55:10 PP)

Goalie: Barulin

Admiral finishes camp on a high

Admiral’s final game of its camp in the Czech Republic saw the Sailors face Slovak team Zvolen. After a series of satisfactory exhibition games, there were few changes to the roster for this one and there were signs of growing confidence in Admiral’s game.

The key player proved to be Markus Ljungh, the Swedish forward who joined this summer. He collected three assists to help his team to a 4-1 verdict. The Slovak opponent, in truth, struggled to get into the game and Admiral prepares for its long journey back to the Far East in an upbeat mood.

HC Zvolen 1 Admiral Vladivostok 4 (1-2, 0-2, 0-0)

Admiral goals: 1-1 Lalond (Ljungh 8:00); 1-2 Bakos (Almqvist, Ljungh 10:00); 1-3 A Streltsov (V Streltsov, Ljungh 28:00); 1-4 Lisin (Lomako 38:00)

Goalie: Olkinuora

Czech tigers defeat Amur

While Admiral was wrapping up its Czech sojourn in style, Amur ended on a downbeat against Liberec. The White Tigers of Europe defeat the Amur Tigers of the Far East 4-1.

Amur’s only goal came early in the third period when the Zohorna brothers, Hynek and Tomas, combined to pull the game back to 1-2. But the revival could not last and Liberec closed out a convincing win.

Bili Tygri Liberec 4 Amur Khabarovsk 1 (0-0, 2-0, 2-1)

Goals: 1-0 Birner (Derner 31:20); 2-0 Lenc (Marosz, Filippi 38:23); 2-1 T Zohorna (H Zohorna 44:25); 3-1 Filippi (Marosz, Lenc 54:35); 4-1 Ordos (penalty, 55:11)

Goalies: Schwarz – Langhammer (Alikhin)

Heavy loss for Barys

Barys suffered a third consecutive defeat, going down 3-7 at Lugano at the end of its Swiss camp. The home team scored three goals in the first 10 minutes, taking the game away from the Kazakhs, and there was little comfort for Andrei Skabelka’s men in the rest of the game.

Lugano 7 Barys Nur-Sultan 3 (3-0, 4-2, 0-1)

Barys goals: 4-1 Sagadeyev (Yevdokimov, Semyonov 24:11); 7-2 Shestakov (Shalapov, Polokhov 29:17); 7-3 tbc.

Goalie: Pasquale (Karlsson)

Ak Bars moved out in front at the Latvian Railways Cup, defeating Lokomotiv to make it three wins from three in Riga. Avtomobilist recovered from two losses to hand Dinamo Minsk a 6-0 drubbing.

First win for Avto

Avtomobilist bounced back after losing its first two games in Riga and handed Dinamo Minsk a 6-0 thrashing. Summer signing Brooks Macek led the way with a hat-trick as he slotted into the first line alongside Nigel Dawes and Dan Sexton. On this evidence, last season’s Eastern Conference leader could be a potent offensive force once again this time around.

While Macek moves onto six goals for the summer, the best return of any KHL player, another newbie, Peter Holland, added two more to his account. Avto fired in six goals from just 22 shots; Dinamo suffered another difficult day at the office.

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 6 Dinamo Minsk 0 (3-0, 1-0, 2-0)

Goals: 1-0 Macek (Sexton, Dawes 0:53); 2-0 Macek (Dawes, Sexton 15:59); 3-0 Setdikov (Mozer 17:29); 4-0 Macek (Dawes, Sexton 23:10); 5-0 Holland (Platt, Berezin 42:57); 6-0 Holland (Platt, Bodrov 49:11 PP)

Goalies: Kovar (Fomin 42:57) – Enroth

Three out of three for Ak Bars

Ak Bars began with two convincing wins here in Riga but faced a sterner test against Lokomotiv. Dmitry Kvartalnov rested Danis Zaripov for this game, while Loko looked to recover from a 2-4 loss against the host in its first game.

However, the Railwaymen could not get back on track here either. It was a good, close game, tied at 2-2 after 40 minutes, but even in the second stanza there were signs that Ak Bars was getting on top of the game. A 13-4 shot count didn’t deliver right away, but in the third period Kvartalnov’s team added two more goals to secure the victory. Defenseman Mikael Wikstrand led the scoring with a goal and an assist.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 Ak Bars Kazan 4 (1-1, 1-1, 0-2)

Goals: 1-0 Lander (Kronwall 7:17); 1-1 Galimov (Petrov 15:05); 1-2 Cormier (Wikstrand, Ozhiganov 28:37 PP); Sannikov (Kudryavtsev 29:03); 2-3 Fisenko (Galimov, Yarullin 44:13 PP); 2-4 Wikstrand (Frattin, Azevedo 56:38)

Goalies: Konovalov – Reideborn

HC Sochi’s impressive summer continued with victory over Torpedo in the evening game in St. Petersburg. Earlier, Severstal edged Avangard in overtime.

Bright new Severstal edges past Avangard

Severstal, in an unfamiliar new yellow jersey, produced a bright performance to defeat Avangard in overtime. The opening goal came midway through the first period when Denis Zernov caught Severstal on the counter and scored for the third game in a row. But Igor Geraskin tied the scores at the start of the second period and from then on there was no further scoring, despite some good play from Avangard late in the game.

Photo: 22.08.19. Nikolai Puchkov memorial tournament. Avangard (Omsk) - Severstal (Cherepovets)

The winner came in overtime: German Grachyov and Yegor Morozov combined for a slick breakaway to give the Steelmen the verdict. Severstal bounced back from its opening loss to Jokerit yesterday.

Avangard Omsk 1 Severstal Cherepovets 2 OT (1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-1)

Goals: 1-0 Zernov (Shirokov 7:23); 1-1 Geraskin (Vovchenko, Khabarov 20:19); 1-2 Grachyov (Morozov 63:20)

Goalies: Sudnitsin – Khakimov

Bob Hartley, head coach, Avangard

We’re working through our process. We had several new players on the ice and they’re still getting to know their team-mates. The first period was OK but then we had a couple of penalties. In the second, Severstal was much better than us. It was 1-1, the third period was our best spell of the game, we created several good chances but in overtime we were caught by a 2-on-1 rush.

Evgeny Mikhalkevich, coach, Severstal

We came here with the intention of playing two different teams, we brought six lines in total. That’s why we could make so many changes from the first game. In the first period we showed them too much respect, but during the intermission we reminded our guys that this was their chance to prove they were worth a place in the KHL. And they started to play, and not to watch these big-name players.

More summer success for Sochi

Sochi has enjoyed an impressive summer and came to Petersburg as one of the form teams in pre-season. Sergei Zubov’s team won the Sochi Hockey Open for the first time and enjoyed more success in the Czech Republic.

Photo: 22.08.19. Nikolai Puchkov memorial tournament. HC Sochi (Sochi) - Torpedo (Nizhny Novgorod)

Torpedo, by contrast, had a mixed campaign in its home tournament and started here with a heavy loss against SKA. David Nemirovsky used goalie Andrei Tikhomirov ahead of Anders Lindback but the decision backfired. While he could do little about Stepan Starkov’s goal, Tikhomirov’s error allowed Vladislav Kaletnik to restore Sochi’s lead. A late counter-attack saw Denis Alexandrov put the issue beyond doubt as the Leopards enjoyed another summer success.

HC Sochi 3 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 1 (1-0, 1-1, 1-0)

Goals: 1-0 Starkov (11:20); 1-1 Genoway (21:01 PP); 2-1 Kaletnik (34:47); 3-1 Alexandrov (Arkhipov 55:32).

Goalies: Shikin – Tikhomirov

The opening day of the Mayor of Moscow Cup began with Dynamo Moscow beating Vityaz 4-1. But the main attraction was the derby clash between Gagarin Cup holder CSKA and Oleg Znarok’s Spartak. The defending champion showed its class to inflict a first defeat on Znarok since he took over at the Red-and-Whites.

Dynamo’s power play makes the difference

The Mayor of Moscow Cup got underway with Dynamo defeating Vityaz thanks to a pair of power play goals. Experienced forward Igor Polygalov cancelled out an early goal from Alexei Mikeyev when he raced onto a defense-splitting pass from Yegor Zaitsev and when the penalty count totted up, the Blue-and-Whites took advantage. A 5-on-3 power play saw Ivan Igumnov and Mikhail Grigoryev put Dynamo 3-1 up and in control of the game at the second intermission.

Photo: 22.08.19. Moscow mayor cup. Dynamo (Moscow) - Vityaz (Moscow Region)

Captain Vadim Shipachyov added to an earlier assist to complete the scoring midway through the final stanza. Dynamo began with a victory in this battle for capital-city bragging rights.

Dynamo Moscow 4 Vityaz Podolsk 1 (0-1, 3-0, 1-0)

Goals: 0-1 Makeyev (Shvets-Rogovoi 3:02); 1-1 Polygalov (Zaitsev 21:19); 2-1 Igumnov (Shipachyov, Grigoriev 37:28 PP); 3-1 Grigoriev (Zaitsev 38:27 PP); 4-1 Shipachyov (50:23)

Goalies: Bocharov – Samonov

Vladimir Krikunov, head coach, Dynamo

We took a long time to get into the game. We didn’t start well and conceded straight away. I liked how we woke up in the second period and took our chances on the power play. In the third we scored again and took the game to its logical conclusion. Unfortunately, Petersson suffered an injury when he took a blow to the head. We’ll keep an eye on his condition.

Mikhail Kravets, head coach, Vityaz

Our first period was really good, but in the second our mistakes let us down and we took too many penalties. 18 minutes of penalties in a game is a lot. We know what we have to work on.

CSKA has too much for Spartak

The build-up to the Moscow derby between Spartak and CSKA brought out some special guests. Stanislav Cherchesov, head coach of Russia’s football and a former Spartak goalkeeper, visited the Red-and-White locker room for a pre-game pep talk, while Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin was on hand for the ceremonial face-off.

Photo: 22.08.19. Moscow mayor cup. CSKA (Moscow) - Spartak (Moscow)

CSKA named a strong line-up, with the Gagarin Cup winner giving Moscow fans a first glimpse of two new lines: Sekac– Vey– Grigorenko, and Kaprizov– Svetlakov– Okulov. For Spartak, meanwhile, this was a chance to test Oleg Znarok’s promising new regime against the best in the league.

On this occasion, the sorcerers had the edge over the apprentices. Midway through the first period, Grigorenko’s power play goal put CSKA ahead. In the second, Kirill Kaprizov scored a beauty in the manner of Pavel Datsyuk. At times, only Julius Hudacek kept Spartak in the game and his heroics at one end inspired a response at the other: Alexander Khokhlachyov set up the play, Ilya Talaluyev converted it and the game was alive once more.

The third period, though, saw the Army Men take control. Two goals early in the frame settled the outcome before the teams traded goals in the closing minutes. Znarok’s Spartak suffered its first loss of the summer.

CSKA Moscow 5 Spartak Moscow 2 (1-0, 2-1, 3-1)

Goals: 1-0 Grigorenko (Vey, Nesterov 9:54 PP); 2-0 Kaprizov (Grigorenko, Nesterov 28:17 PP); 2-1 Talaluyev (Khokhlachyov, Vishnevsky 31:48); 3-1 Andronov (Sorokin, Mamin 42:02); 4-1 Karnaukhov (Mamin, Nesterov 44:53); 4-2 Hanzl (Daugavins, Karsums 50:36); 5-2 Popov (Okulov, Kiselevich 57:13)

Goalies: Sorokin – Hudacek

Oleg Znarok, head coach, Spartak

Today’s game showed that we still have plenty of problems. And we’ll try to learn from that. We’ll keep working so that in future we can find a way out of situations like this. We’re still building our team, some things are working out but others are not. But I think we can work this out. We have some good players and I’m sure we’ll come together and move forward.

Igor Nikitin, head coach, CSKA

Both teams played with a huge amount of desire but maybe they were lacking in strength. There were problems on the counter-attack and we have things to work on, but we’re happy with the result.

It’s clear that things have changed at Spartak. There hasn’t been enough time for any coach to fundamentally change a club, but the work that Oleg and Harijs [Vitolins] have done is striking.

The Finn franchise worked very well on the market this offseason, replacing the departing players with more experienced options. However, will Marjamaki fix last year's mistakes?

Last season

Last year, Jokerit appointed Lauri Marjamaki as the team's new head coach. Before his appointment, Marjamaki worked with the Finnish national team. Jokerit had a successful start of the season as the team lost only one point in the first eight games. The Finnish side was the second top-scoring team in the regular season, with 197 goals. Many players set their record, in particular, Jesse Joensuu, John Norman, Sakari Manninen, and Niklas Jensen– all of them scored more than 20 goals. However, the season finished earlier than what was expected as Jokerit suffered from a first-round exit by the hand of Dynamo Moscow.

Head coach

Before starting to work with Jokerit, Lauri Marjamaki won the Finnish elite league twice. However, he can hardly be satisfied with his first year in the KHL. Jokerit had a solid regular season, but they couldn't adapt to their opponent in the playoffs. After the series, Marjamaki admitted that Dynamo had better special teams.

Jokerit is at its sixth year in the league, and its previous coaches, Erkka Westerlund and Jukka Jalonen, both had two-year stints. Both managed to lead Jokerit to the playoffs' second round once. Before the start of the 2019-20 campaign, the team renewed Marjamaki's contract for further two years.

Arrivals

Goalies: Antti Niemi (Montreal, NHL), Aleksanteri Heiskanen (Blues, Finland).

Defensemen: Mikko Lehtonen (HV71, Sweden), Eemeli Rasanen (Toronto, AHL), Teemu Eronen (HIFK, Finland).

Forwards: Petri Kontiola (Lokomotiv), Ahti Oksanen (SaiPa, Finland), Veli-Matti Savinainen (Kunlun Red Star), Henrik Haapala (HC Lugano, Switzerland).

Departures

Goalie: Ryan Zapolski (Vienna Capitals, Austria).

Defensemen: Jesper Jensen (Malmo, Sweden), Mike Lundin, Niko Nurmikanta (HPK, Finland), Karl Stollery (Frolunda, Sweden).

Forwards: Max Warn, Pekka Jormakka (Vityaz), Sakari Manninen (Salavat Yulaev; trade), Joona Monto (HPK, Finland), Tomi Maki (retired), Geoff Platt (Avtomobilist), Viliam Cacho (Dukla, Slovakia), Erik Embrich (Tuto, Finland).

Roster

Excluding a few positions, Jokerit will feature a roster which is very similar to last season's one. Antti Niemi didn't have his best seasons in North America in the latest few years, and it's yet to be seen if the 35-years-old goalie will manage to revitalize his career. Niemi will replace Ryan Zapolski, who simply had a bad year last time around. Mikko Lehtonen and Teemu Eronen will replace the Danish defenseman Jesper Jensen and the Canadian blueliner Karl Stollery.

Regarding forwards, big hopes lie on Henrik Haapala. The Finnish forward was the domestic league's top scorer in the 2016-17 campaign, before he moved to North America. He played only one season there, and he moved to Jokerit after half a season in Switzerland. Another two newly signed players are the well-known Veli-Matti Savinainen and Petri Kontiola. The former picked up an injury in the preseason and won't be back until October.

Leader: Brian O'Neill

The American forward is about to start his fourth season in Helsinki, and in 2018-19 he had a breakout season. Brian O'Neill successfully replaced Brandon Kozun, who moved to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, and set a new record for Jokerit, scoring 58 (13+45) points in the regular season.

Prospect: Eemeli Rasanen

The Finnish side every year manages to find for its roster a hot prospect coming home from North America. Two years ago, they had Eeli Tolvanen, then it was Kristian Vesalainen's turn. Eemeli Rasanen started last season with Jokerit, but only had thirteen games, with 2 (1+1) points. After Jokerit ended its season, the blueliner flew overseas to play five games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

Expectations

It's easy to predict that Jokerit won't change much next year. However, there are a few questions that need to be replied. Will any of the goalies become a real number one netminder? Will Jokerit improve its special teams? If judging by the names, Jokerit shouldn't have problems to reach the playoffs, but without some significant changes, the team will start them from the second half of the top eight.